3 Men charged after large gunbattle near Heman Park

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. (KMOV.com) -- Three men have been charged in connection to a large gunbattle that broke out near Heman Park in University City.

Officers responded to reports of multiple shots fired at the intersection of Vernon and Midland around 5 p.m. Friday.

Police stopped a car that was leaving the park and reportedly found a handgun inside the vehicle. Officers took three men into custody, and located a fourth man in the park believed to be the target of the shooting.

Steven Brown, 25, Ricky Dixon, 30, and Lemuel Reed, 40, have been charged with first degree assault and armed criminal action. A cash-only, $100,000 bond has been set for each of the three men.

Police say the man targeted in the shooting was not injured. More than 20 bullet casings were found scattered around the area.

“It's horrible,” said University City Police Captain Michael Ransom. “Absolutely not what we want to happen in any park.”

While police were picking up bullet casings, a hundred feet away a church group was setting up for a performance. The youth choir from First Baptist Church of St. Charles put on a performance for Bibleway Baptist Church of U-City.

Brad Newbold, minister of music, said they weren’t going to let the criminals ruin their night.

“You know scripture calls us to be salt and light in the world and make a difference,” said Newbold. “So I think what happened this afternoon is darkness, but we're bringing light.”